A glimmer of hope from McDermott’s shiny forehead

Venture on to any social network, Leeds United site or forum right now and you’ll be met by an atmosphere of almost universal and overwhelming doom and gloom.

Never mind that there’s still over a month until the season kicks off and the transfer window hasn’t officially opened yet, some Leeds United fans have already written off our chances for 2013/14.

It’s an understandable and entirely justified response to the events of the last couple of weeks, but should we really be surprised to find out we’re skint and there’s little money to replenish the squad? We’ve all seen Leeds United’s last published accounts, (or know the jist of them at least) and we know the situation our club is in.

Furthermore, we all knew that this financial year would start at a loss for the Whites courtesy of the loan Ken Bates’ took out to cream-clad our East Stand, which took a sizeable chunk from our season ticket sales before the club started making any money from them whatsoever.

Already a club losing money, apparently propped up by injections of cash from our owners to see out last season, Leeds United need to balance their books and one of the things we demanded – the reduction in season ticket prices – won’t have helped matters there. A worthwhile gamble in my opinion, but they needed to sell in much greater numbers for it to pay off. So far we’ve failed to meet the number sold last season, meaning another gap in our finances now needs to be plugged.

We all hoped GFH would find investors to lavish us with transfer funds, but that hasn’t happened unfortunately. That search has perhaps been impeded a little by the sorry state of the aforementioned accounts, after all, few investors will want to take on a football club – notorious money pits – that’s losing money before they set foot in the door. Would you?

So it’s a summer of austerity for Leeds while our manager tries to rebalance the squad with a little wheeling and dealing. Not an ideal situation by any means, but if ever there was a man to pluck hidden gems from the dark recesses of the footballing underworld at a bargain price, it’s Brian McDermott.

The new boss has been Leeds United’s shining light this summer, a consistent and reassuring figure of hope.

Calmness personified, he’s taken every blow this club has thrown at him, the same blows that we’ve taken, yet while we’re licking our wounds and feeling sorry for ourselves, McDermott is still smiling. Still positive. Still convinced he can build a team capable of competing this season.

And you know what? I don’t doubt him. Not for one second.

Half the battle of football is psychological and McDermott appears to be winning that one with some ease. Sit wallowing in self-pity, cursing the additions we can’t make and it serves only to make the existing squad doubt their chances. Which they shouldn’t, because if the team we have can reproduce the form they ended last season with, we have every chance of finishing at the business end of the table.

Whether you have faith in the owners or not, there’s a footballing brain in that shiny forehead of McDermott’s. He proved that in half a dozen games last season, through promotion at Reading and the astute transfers that made him such an attractive signing.

McDermott’s not accepting any excuses, so let’s stop making them. Let’s try it the McDermott way and learn to roll with the punches, laugh in the face of adversity and come back smiling.

If there’s one thing you can guarantee as a Leeds United fan, it’s that we never do things the easy way. Perhaps it’s fitting then that we’ll likely head into this season as underdogs, laughed at for our pitiful transfer spending and written off by the masses. That’s usually when we’re at our most deadly.

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Liam

Good article and a refreshing bit of positivity. We have to trust in McDermott, he has faced a similar situation at reading, having to sell players. Lets get behind him.

mrsensible

Great article. Some people need to remember we have a great manager who can pick out gems from lower leagues for peanuts. Not a crooked old ‘one last throw of the dice’ moron who signed all his old pals from years gone by.

mrbigwheels

What a blast. Perfect summary. Word for word agree. Needed to be said.
Lean and Mean and Hungry is the way forward with the man that we are so thankful to have as our manager……

Paul Otway

Great to hear some very sensible comments in your article. We have to believe in Brian, because he believes in his players and us the supporters. We really do need to get positive and more than anything get behind the manager and players. For far too long there has been an attitude from fans (or not) who go on these sites that never look at any of the positives. Lets start with the number 1 positive, we have the best manager in the championship and most of the premier league. Now lets get behind him before we drive him to wonder why he ever stepped over the threshold of our wonderful club.

R’N’D LUFC

Agree with everything that you have said, so why make it harder for ourselves by always been on a downer. I have also fallen for the same things but when you read the above and realise we have 9 to 11 midfielders then it all makes sense. Cant stop thinking that ots gonna be a crap season but then you read a McDermott comment and I am back smiling thinking we have everychance.

R’N’D LUFC

IN THE WORDS OF KEITH LEMON……….MOT

craig

Nice read, its time for all us fans to get behind shiny and the team lets spit out all the bitterness and yes i was one of the bitter ones. Couldnt stand Warnock anything about him actually but hey hes gone and good rid and Bates well just ignore the twat. I feel this is going to be the start of a rebirth on on on Mot. We can credit BM, the players and fans. None of the others deserve a mention.

Thecud001

Brilliant article. McDermott is no mug or has been trying to reclaim past glories. He knows what it takes to put together a winning side and motivate them through positivity. He did it at Reading and I’m sure he’ll do it at Leeds. We may not get promoted this season, hopefully we will, but I’m sure given the time he will take us back up. Lets all get behind him and the team and MOT!

Paul malta

Now is the time to get behind Brian and the boys, The way that Leeds played after he took over shows that we have the talent, even paddy learned how to throw the ball.I have placed a 100 euro bet at 16 to 1 to win the league, and 200 euro to get promoted at 5 to 1, This is the season where we will get promoted and be back where we belong, in the Premier league, MOT

Ottley boy

Great rallying cry, we would all do well to remember that Yeovil were promoted from div 1 last season despite having the lowest wage budget in the division, and Leeds United with it’s history & fan base, must be an attractive proposition for players, particularly with Brian Mcdermott as manager, giving the club an advantage over other clubs shopping in the bargain basement. c’mon Leeds!

ross johnson

I told my son and one of my daughters when Bates took over, that I wouldn’t see our team in the premier league again in my lifetime. 2 days ago I was told that nothing can be done anymore to cure the cancer diagnosed 5 months ago What some people will do be proven right.

Chareose

Screw them and screw what they tell you….. They told my uncle he had 4 months and he lasted 3 years and went down laughing and smiling…… You will see Leeds in the prem again my friend, you arnt everyone else, you are you !

ross johnson

Thanks for that, Chareose, you are very kind. I can’t grumble too much though, I was at Anfield on the night we won our 1st League title. I was at Wembley for our League cup win and again for our F.A. Cup victory. Both 1-0 against Arsenal.

Chareose

Well we still need you so you arnt going anywhere mate, see you at ER

Maz

Excellent article, after pretty much 10 years of bemoaning our fate, it is time to get and stay positive and upbeat. BMD knows that he has an opportunity to resurrect our fallen giant, and I am pretty sure that he will use his impressive skills to make that happen.

Ross, just wanted to wish you all the very best, the medical profession may like to give us the impression that they know it all…….clearly, they don’t, and as Chareose says, we need you so you are not going anywhere (other than to ER to move the mighty whites on and on…………………).

Matthew

Yesterday I displayed the same positivity, arguing with the gloomy fuckers who don’t seem to understand the way the club is at the moment and are happy to try and boycott games.
Everyone has to unite under the LUFC banner and support the team. No more, no less, no more excuses, get behind the team and push it across the playoff line and hopefully further.
If we fail, we can try, try, try again. Either way there is no easy ride for us. I have absolute faith we have a shot at the playoffs regardless of what happens.

Kens keyring

A great rallying cry but ultimately it will be fruitless IMO. GFH-C have done some good things so far but the silence coming out of the club is deafening, if we as fans stand together we can force them to tell us their plans by starving them of funds, buy your ticket and support the team but don’t spend a single penny on anything else at the club, no beer, no burgers (both are fucking horrendous anyway) no shirts (again horrendous)!

Matthew

Starving the club of funds will only make a shit situation worse. The ultimate goal of anyone who owns us will be to have us back on an even footing again. And besides, people love Beer, people love Burgers, people love food in general, you won’t find a huge amount of people willing to do that.

And how is the silence deafening, we know all we need to know. McDermott announcing his targets before they’re signed would just fuck things up. There’s not much else that needs to be said beyond what has already been said already.

Kens keyring

I’m not expect BMD to release his target list, only a total fuckwit would expect that.
What I and many other ST holders want is a statement of intent or maybe the fans forum what was promised before it got cancelled because someone Beeston Dave once knew dropped dead.
That crock of shit they put out the other day with supposed fans questions to Salad Noodleman was just as bad as Ben Fry asking Mr Chairman pre-approved questions on LUTV.
If they couldn’t afford the club then why buy it? You do realise they’ve already taken a mortgage out on shares through another company that Beeston Dave sits on the boards.

Matthew

Why does it matter? As long as the club is supported enough to survive, the manager backed to a reasonable degree, the internal politics of any football is not the business of the fans, at least in my opinion. We all want back in the premier league, but considering the situation we’re in, it won’t be an easy fix, it’ll take time.
We all know the situation is shit, dwelling on it won’t change anything, getting behind the team and helping the team across the line as the 12th man will do more good than complaining.

Matthew

* any football club

Paul G

Excellent article. Money isn’t everything in football …. we’ve all seen a ton of example of clubs who’ve spent like there’s no tomorrow, and totally failed to achieve anything.

It isn’t going to be easy – but the negativity of the vocal minority isn’t going to help things …..

Chareose

Exactly there’s no point moping, we got some good players for this lvl and a great manager so let’s back them in force and turn ER into a fortress again

Kevin Painter

As soon as they GFH see a profit they will sell Leeds United

That’s what this is all about, flipping

Bates has left us (I Think) in a dire trouble financially

They have no money, we are stuck, we do need some new blood.

Relying on freebies and loan stars may work but just a short term fix

We need as we have for the past 9 years now a buy out by some serious people

Brian Mc is the man

KP

JohnnyB52

Many teams in the Championship will be envious of us having Brian McD – he reminds me of our best ever manager – calm, considered but exceptionally competitive – and just like the great Don we need to build a great club as well as team – improving everything on and off the pitch to drive us forward – our job as fans is to support him – to be so strong for Brian that our success will be inevitable – MOT

DeterminationPersonified

Brian McDermott represents our best (only?) chance of getting out of the mess we’re in (and have been in for the past 10+ years). Like many others, I was initially hopeful that Warnock would weave some magic and create his 8th promotion with us but that project went so badly wrong (probably a combination of him/Bates/GFH).

If he gives us time (rather than the other way around!), I think BMcD will deliver on his intention to re-build the club. It will take a 3-year programme of re-building and If that happens, I believe we’ll see our cherished promotion to the PL.

Apart from the issue of whether BMcD will stick it out with us for 3 years, my other main concern is GFH. They seem to have been caught by surprise as to what it takes to run our football club, with all the complications and sensitivities – and that’s after 9 months of due diligence (or so we’re told). I wouldn’t invest a penny in GFH as a company and I am singularly unimpressed by David Haigh, who I think is a love-struck fan with little to contribute. As for Salah Nooruddin, if half of what we hear is true I have grave concerns over the direction of LUFC under his leadership. Harvey seems to be little more than an administrator who probably needs to work alongside somebody with vision to be effective (not that Haigh or Nooruddin can provide that vision in my opinion).

The only person from GFH I’ve heard from who seems to have any gumption is Salem Patel. He would be my choice for Chairman.

So, in summary, I agree that we need to get behind BMcD. However, I also feel that GFH have the capability to destroy BMcD’s nascent re-birth of LUFC before it reaches its 1st birthday – possibly as a result of their crass ignorance.

MOT.

Richie

Excellent article. As a Leeds fan of 48 years we should follow The Don’s sign and keep fighting.